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themonkey
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19 Sep 2006, 4:45 pm

Why people with asperger have special interests, need for routine and perfectionism? I meen the reason. To survive through life be'cause world is confusing ?And what is the defrence between aspergers and OCD in this traits?


Thanks:) I just found as so I have a lot of questions :)



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19 Sep 2006, 5:04 pm

"Why people with asperger have special interests,..."

Good question I ask myself that a lot. My days would be a lot easier if I didn’t overwhelm my self with meaningless task and worthless trivia. Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy my obsessions for they are the utmost zenith in my life but they leave time for little else.


Routine and perfection however, display a sense of balance and order. Doing something in a specific way again and again keeps one’s little piece of the universe from complete and utter chaos. It keeps one in control of one’s surrounding environment.


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superfantastic
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19 Sep 2006, 5:15 pm

"need for routine and perfectionism"

I think that for me it's because I get distracted when something's "wrong", so it' easier to concentrate if everything's perfect.



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19 Sep 2006, 11:13 pm

superfantastic wrote:
"need for routine and perfectionism"

I think that for me it's because I get distracted when something's "wrong", so it' easier to concentrate if everything's perfect.


That's more or less what I had in mind. We want to spend as much time as possible daydreaming, and we need the routines so we can put our bodies in auto pilot and keep thinking. It helps us disconnect from the real world and pursue our interesting lifes in the imagination.

That's for the routines, regarding the perfectionism, not every aspie has it, and I bet it's connected to the lining up of stuff some of us do.


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20 Sep 2006, 6:36 am

[quote="themonkey"]Why people with asperger have special interests, need for routine and perfectionism? I meen the reason. To survive through life be'cause world is confusing ?And what is the defrence between aspergers and OCD in this traits?


It's true that the reason for special interests etc is a need to try and bring a sense of order,because like you say the the real world is confusing and unpredictable.
The difference with OCD is that people feel compelled to do things
like continually washing their hands even when they don't WANT to
keep doing it,something inside just forces them. With AS,people
enjoy their special interests and use them to relax.



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01 Oct 2006, 11:24 am

Good question and if anyone ever proves a reason I would be interested to know. It may be (as mentioned) that the interests and routine provide a certain degree of order often lacking. My experience has been that the interests and routines provide a certain sense of safety and security in a perplex and troubled world.

themonkey wrote:
Why people with asperger have special interests, need for routine and perfectionism? I meen the reason. To survive through life be'cause world is confusing ?And what is the defrence between aspergers and OCD in this traits?


Thanks:) I just found as so I have a lot of questions :)



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01 Oct 2006, 6:30 pm

A lack of routine (i.e., unwanted sensory change) just wrecks my system. I don't handle a lot of change well. Calmness in my life makes me calm and allows me to be healthy and happy.

Perfectionism also sort of reflects this. If I don't have things "my way", then my system literally feels out of whack. It's almost like having a mental vertigo and unraveling without having things "just so".

As for obsessions, they make my life absolutely enjoyable and give me life-goals related to them (such as a future career). I have obsessions because I can't not have obsessions and be psychologically happy and healthy. It's almost like an addiction in some sense. Obessions are the one thing my system can handle and enjoy ad infinitum. :)


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01 Oct 2006, 6:43 pm

Most of society is stuck in a rut, they just pick simple things to do over and over.

The sterio type factory andriod is on auto pilot and hasn't changed their routine in decades.



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02 Oct 2006, 4:32 am

Routine helps me to do things properly; otherwise I'd get confused.

And perfectionism just comes from not having a sense of what others think is "good enough", so I simply don't stop until I hit "the best possible".


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Rory
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02 Oct 2006, 6:00 am

For me, routine is a means of using time efficiently. Saves me thinking about things that don't matter, so that I can spend more time doing things that have meaning for me. A lot of nonsense is talked about how awful it is to be always thinking about time. But the thing to do is to be master of time. Plan your time and you are its master. Ignore it and it becomes your master.



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02 Oct 2006, 8:19 am

pluto wrote:
The difference with OCD is that people feel compelled to do things
like continually washing their hands even when they don't WANT to
keep doing it,something inside just forces them. With AS,people
enjoy their special interests and use them to relax.


*agrees* I also have OCD - which I've been having counselling for and have improved with a bit - and which in my case consists of a fear of and worry about dirt; worry about the inside of the house being 'contaminated' by germs from outside, a need to wash my hands if I've touched something I consider 'dirty' (this might be door handles or shoes, etc). It's a obsession that just relieves the anxiety that comes with doing it. Whereas an obsession I might have with a TV show is just as much of an obsession, but makes me happy.



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02 Oct 2006, 10:20 am

That is just us.


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25 Jul 2010, 10:08 am

Why?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome

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devark
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25 Jul 2010, 10:26 am

I enjoy the predictability my repetitive behavior brings to my day. I enjoy doing the same things the same way over and over because the unpredictability of the world gives me anxiety. My mind is a place of order and familiarity, my behavior reflects that. With OCD, I believe its the other way around, where anxieties created by the mind are soothed by ritual, even when the rituals are not enjoyed by the person. Its a strange contrast.


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